Artificial turf surfaces are becoming increasingly popular as a replacement for natural grass in stadiums, on golf courses, playground areas, sports playing fields and residential lawns. Artificial turf surfaces require less maintenance than natural grass surfaces, and do not require water, chemicals, or sunlight to maintain the surface. The environmental impact of artificial turf surfaces is considered less than that of an equivalent natural grass surface, as water and/or chemicals are not used to maintain the surface, and fossil fuel consuming equipment is not needed to groom the surface.
An artificial turf surface system may include a border to establish a perimeter about the artificial turf surface. Rigid wood studs are typically inserted into the ground to establish a border about the perimeter of the artificial turf surface. The artificial turf is rolled over an underlying horizontal surface and is secured to the wood studs. There is a significant disadvantage of using wood stud to define a border. The wood studs are not flexible and therefore cannot accommodate curved or complex shaped regions of the perimeter of the artificial turf system.
What is needed in the art is a border that able to secure the covering layer of artificial turf against wind uplift and that can accommodate more challenging border geometries such as curved or rounded areas.